Thursday, January 15, 2015

A digital transformation is achieved via dynamic strategy-execution-change life cycle management.Organizations large or small are on their digital transformation journey, although there is no one size fits all solution to ensure the change success, what’re the principles or logic steps they need to follow for managing such transformation in a more systematic way?

A Transformation framework which will contain the "people" considerations and organizational change components: A company or organization wanting to become more customer-centric, the harder component of change will be the positive shift in the culture both during the transformation and also after. In addition to employees, this would include, stakeholders, customers, and vendors. It replaces the tired traditional approach of treating each transformation as a separate project. Instead, it provides an investment transformation framework that exponentially reduces future transformation effort and one whereby the change is highly predictable and, therefore, less chaotic. It is made up of the following sections:

1). Determining the Business Visions, Goals, and Objectives

2). Analyzing the Current State of the Business

3). Determining the Required Business Transformation

4). Developing the Business Transformation Design

5). Conducting Value Analysis on the Design

A digital transformation is achieved via dynamic Strategy-Execution-Change life cycle management: Though it is not all linear steps, clear vision and well-defined business goals, the effective decision-making, and performance measurement are all important success factors. And more specifically, there are five following steps:

(1) Clarify transformation vision and objectives: But vision is more than a destination, it is also the way people envision change and look at things. So manage mindsets in a "growth," learning and open perspective. How can you look at things with different lenses? Why should you change habits? What can you learn from the experience? How to be curious and nuanced and with enough relativity and reflection facing the transformation?

(2). Make sure there is an effective decision process in place: The decision is made on a sound basis, mixing feelings and reflection, inner wisdom and self-regulation. make sure decisions are being taken neither impulsively nor too late, in order to avoid uncertainty, the biggest threat to any transformation. And for the same reason, make sure decisions are being executed and not permanently questioned. Identify potential benefits and required changes to achieve the objectives, to find the "cause and effect" chain of intermediate milestones required to achieve end benefits and transformation objectives. This step also ensures these milestones and benefits are owned by relevant stakeholders.

(3) Define transformation initiatives (projects and/or programs), respect and leverage motivations: There is no change without dopamine somewhere in the brains! There are so many theories here around, but at least do those few things: answer the "what's in it” question of any stakeholder; provide meaningful reasons or "purpose" to change; provide some rewarding experience along the transformation journey; bond people around small change initiatives; search for intrinsic motivations of participants and leverage them; provide continuous appreciation for all the "we don't like it but still need to do it" things; calm down intolerance by helping people think of the goals and of different point of views; be fair in all decision; respect status of people involved; provide maximum autonomy; celebrate the small wins

(4) Animate the transformation and manage transformation initiatives: Build up a positive emotional climate, foster positive relationships, communicate relentlessly, cool down stressed people before they stress others, be there at the crossroad of the transformation to make sure information and interaction flow in every direction, build up trust by bonding people around clear and benevolent intentions.

(5) Manage performance andmanage your own attitude or everything else would be undermined: be fair, be transparent, be energetic, have an open mindset, be reflective rather than reflexive, be an inspiring leader and a trustworthy partner. Without those 5 steps, you could miss even a simple transformation; but with these logic steps, there is better chance to reach great success even in very challenging transformation or restructuring;

Three dimensions of transformation: The reason why some or many transformations fail - some soft factors and the challenge of complexity come into play. One thing is to implement certain best practice ingredients for a transformation. The previous sequence needs to be executed having in account simultaneously with three essential dimensions:

D1 - Stakeholders, people, and communication

D2 - Business benefits and business value

D3 - Program management, organizational structure, and governance.

From the top down transformational leadership to bottom up culture of reflection, although you can not predict every event happening on the journey, surely you need to proactively create a vision, make a good strategy, and execute it via an iterative continuum, and create a business - talent synergy to accelerate the flywheel of digitalization.